WEST MILFORD Joe Smolinski, who has been a volunteer coach for many years as well as a member of the First Aid Squad and chairman of the Recreation Advisory Committee, will now be adding another type of service to the township. On Wednesday night, town council members selected Smolinski from a field of three candidates to fill the unexpired council term of Joe Elcavage. Dan Jurkovic, an attorney and member of the zoning board of appeals, and Dr. Sal Schimmenti, a local chiropractor, scout and CASA volunteer, had also been under consideration, but Smoliniski was considered by many to be the favorite from the outset. A 20-year resident of West Milford, Smolinski is the married father of three. He steps into the seat vacated by fellow Republican Elcavage, who resigned after facing a possible investigation into his involvement with an allegedly slanderous Web site. Following his resignation, the council opted to drop the idea of an investigation, but Democratic Councilman James Warden filed a civil suit against the Web site and other unidentified John Does. Warden and his attorney and brother Jeff Warden have moved forward with the investigation, and although Elcavage is not named in the suit, his name continues to come up. Among the business discussed Wednesday night was the weed-harvesting machine on Greenwood Lake. The harvesting was a combined effort of the council, the Bi-State Lake Commission and the County Sheriff’s office, and it got mired in bureaucracy for months. Addressing the upcoming weed harvest, Warden said, “I will not be thwarted this year.” He said he had obtained e-mails that proved that two former councilmen had “plotted to obstruct the project.” The e-mails are public record, since they were sent to and from township Web addresses, and they are available for anyone to see. The Messenger has obtained copies of them. Whether they constitute a “plot” is unclear, but the communications between Ex-Councilman Elcavage and former Councilman Paul Bailey (R) are certainly venomous toward council democrats. For example, the e-mails refer to the democrats as “morons.” The e-mails also expressed a desire to kick fellow Republican Council President William Gervens out of the County Committee, calling him “Benedict Arnold” and wanting to withdraw support for Phillip Weisbecker during the election. In other business: K. Hovnanian, the company behind the Eagle Ridge development, was again denied the right to move forward. In an appellate court decision this week, the ruling was in favor of West Milford and the Department of Environmental Protection. According to Township Attorney Fred Semrau, K. Hovnanian has the possibility of one more appeal before the issue is completely dead. At the behest of Councilman Weisbecker, the council agreed to the formation of a lakes committee consisting of representatives from the dozen or so lake communities within West Milford, the council and the planning board. The purpose would be to address common issues and problems such as storm water run-off and dam restorations. The council will also be forming a telecommunication task force in the interest of lowering the municipality’s costs. Budget meetings will begin on Saturday morning at 9 a.m.